Slow Cooker Shredded Pork With Cilantro-Ginger Sauce

Most years, we buy a local half hog in the spring and another in the fall. We place the butchered, vacuum-packed cuts — thick, uncured bacon, flavorful sausage, tender pork chops — in our deep freeze and we plan our meals around this meat until it runs out. Which means we sometimes have to getContinue reading “Slow Cooker Shredded Pork With Cilantro-Ginger Sauce”

Spinach Artichoke Dip

There’s nothing like a great app — it keeps the dinner hunger at bay, it’s great for a party, heck, sometimes we even make a meal out of a couple apps and some fruit. I’ve made my fair share of artichoke dips over the years but when I started experimenting this time around, I wanted lessContinue reading “Spinach Artichoke Dip”

Vegetarian Chili

Since I posted my Warm You Up Chili recipe, I’ve had several requests for the Chili-Cookoff-winning vegetarian version I mentioned. I made a batch of Vegetarian Chili this weekend — it was drizzly and gray and chili was just what the day ordered. It worked its magic as usual — filling the house with the satisfying smells of cuminContinue reading “Vegetarian Chili”

Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

I have several black bean soup recipes that have floated into my kitchen over the years. Some with a splash of orange juice, others with a bit of pork stirred in. I like the chunks of sweet potato in this version — and using my Homemade Taco Seasoning, which is always at the ready inContinue reading “Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup”

Carrot Ginger Soup

  This soup couldn’t be easier to make. Sauté a few veggies, then purée it all. But it’s so delicious. And who can’t use a major shot of vitamin A in January? It’s very easy to make a vegan version of this. It’s naturally gluten-free. This was the soup that my cooking class really gobbled up.Continue reading “Carrot Ginger Soup”

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins

As much as I love a hunk of warm crusty bread alongside my soup or salad, I also love the idea of having my bread bring more to the table than a pile of carbs. That’s the beauty of the savory muffin. Filling and flavorful, these gems boast cheese, eggs and veggies, which add protein, fiberContinue reading “Zucchini Cheddar Muffins”

Kielbasa, Corn and Potato Chowder

Potatoes are one of those vegetables that we keep in a box in our basement. Along with the butternut squash and sweet potatoes, the garlic and the onions, we save what we grow in our garden and when those run out, we buy in bulk from our farmers markets. So when the darkest days of winter arrive,Continue reading “Kielbasa, Corn and Potato Chowder”

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

I have exactly one cookbook that I absolutely, positively could not live without. It’s Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook. I love it because it’s plant-based and it uses herbs and spices in a way that make my vegetables sing. I’m sure there are other cookbooks that could make similar claims, but Moosewood landed in my hands when IContinue reading “Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread”

Kale and Tomato Hoppin’ John

Growing up, greens and black-eyed peas were as big a part of my New Year’s Day as packing away the Christmas decorations and listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 Year-End Countdown. My family ate them because it was tradition and good luck — and likely because it was an easy dish to pull together afterContinue reading “Kale and Tomato Hoppin’ John”

Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

  Our garden gives us green beans. We blanch and freeze them. Then, come Thanksgiving, we’ve got what we need for that holiday staple, Green Bean Casserole. But it seems a shame to slather our garden bounty with a can of condensed mushroom soup. So here’s what I make instead. It’s so flavorful, you’ll beContinue reading “Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole”